Leaving Baggage Behind
by JellyNellie
Summary: One-shot. Takes place sometime after 3x10. Callie is adjusting to her newly adopted life, but she has some baggage to leave behind, both emotionally and literally. When a social worker comes to the home unexpected, Callie expects the worse to happen, but with the help of her moms learns that she doesn't need to pack her bags so quickly.


**This is another one-shot idea I had. I hope you enjoy this! Please review! Thank you!**

It hadn't been that long since Callie Jacobs had become Callie Adams Foster; only about a month. She was trying to adjust to her new adopted life, like trying to remember to change her last name when writing it on assignments, saying that she had a family now, going to her Moms for whatever she needed, and putting her duffle bag (the one she used for moving around in previous foster homes) far back in the storage closet upstairs. She really didn't need the bag anymore, and if the Adams Foster clan decided to go on a trip somewhere in the new future, she would buy a new one. That blue bag reminded her of so many bad memories, she didn't want to associate them with the way you feel on a vacation.

It was a little after lunch time on a Saturday, and everyone was finishing up eating lunch and continuing on with their own weekend plans. Brandon had to practice for his upcoming concert, and Mariana was going to go shopping at the mall with some girls from her dance team. Everyone else had more relaxed plans, such as Jesus and Jude playing video games, and Callie working on some things for her Fost and Found app. Both Stef and Lena were enjoying each other's company and Lena had also planned on doing some gardening.

About an hour had passed by, and Callie was very into what she was doing when she heard the doorbell ring. Since she was in her room upstairs, she didn't bother getting up to answer the door. _Jesus and Jude are downstairs, they can get it. It's not like I'm expecting anyone anyways_ , she thought to herself. Shortly after, she got up to go use the restroom, and upon coming out of the bathroom, she overheard women chatting downstairs. She kind of recognized the visitor's voice, but she wasn't sure who it was.

Callie started to creep down the stairs, being sure not to bring attention to herself. She had just wanted to peek and see who it was. She peeked around the corner to see Lena handing a woman a glass of water.

"Thank you Mrs. Adams Foster. I appreciate this" she stated while moving what looked like a file over to make room for her glass of water.

"Oh no problem. And we apologize again for not being more prepared" Lena replied, taking a seat next to Stef.

"No worries" the woman responded. "I get it all the time".

In that moment, Callie recognized it as the same woman who had come to the house when she was removed from this house the last time. " _It's not appropriate for Callie to be in your care"_ is all Callie could remember her saying. Callie whipped her head back around the corner to hide and froze. Her heart started beating so rapidly that she could feel it and hear it in her ears. She felt extremely warm all over as sweat began to form from her forehead and above her lip. She felt her stomach start to drop, similar to the feeling one gets on a drop of a rollercoaster, but this feeling wasn't fun. It hurt and made her slightly nauseous.

Callie returned back upstairs. She couldn't stand against the wall any longer. She couldn't hear anything anymore, besides the sound of her increasing heart rate in her ears. Her hands gripped for the railing, now her only support as she started up the stairs. She ran the best she could to her room and closed the door as quietly as possible with her trembling hands. She stood against the door for a moment, taking in what she just saw and heard. "I can't believe after all of this, I'm _still_ screwed" Callie whispered, trying to take deep breaths. She knew her adoption was too good to be true. How could she let herself get so comfortable? Even though she was now legally adopted, all Callie could think of was why she would be sent back. _Maybe they changed their mind? Or maybe Robert had something to do with this? Did Stef and Lena find out about Brandon and I at the cabin?_ With that, her legs gave way and she slid down the door and onto the floor, hot tears now streaming down her face. She was mad that she opened herself up. She was upset that she allowed herself to believe that she could have a happily ever after, and that now it was all about to be taken from her. As she cried, she became frustrated because she couldn't stop the tears from flowing, and her sobs now became audible as her nose started to run. _Why did I let myself get this weak?!_ She scolded herself. She knew she needed to get herself together and come up with a plan.

Callie forced herself to stop crying, wiped her tears and snot away, and stood up. She took a deep breath and went into the hallway to open the storage closet in search for her bag. She cursed at herself for placing the bag so far back in the closet and so high up. She stretched in and tried to not make too much noise. She walked back to her room and shut the door again. As she placed the bad on her bed, all these memories started to flood through her mind, including the conversation she had about 2 weeks after being officially adopted.

" _You know, you don't really need that bag anymore, right?" Mariana stated towards Callie as Callie was placing something in her bag. "You can just like, take out those extra socks or whatever and put the bag in the storage closet. Moms won't mind"._

" _Yeah I know, I just didn't really think about the fact that I didn't need it. I used to always keep it under whatever bed I was sleeping in, or at least around where I slept since a bed wasn't always available. It just made it easy, ya know?" Callie opened up to Mariana. Stef was passing by the girls' room when she heard their conversation. She decided to pop her head in and reassure Callie._

" _You know what would be easier now? Using the space underneath your bed for a great place to hide Christmas and birthday presents you buy for people for all the Christmases and birthdays to come!" Both girls turned towards the door as they were surprised to see someone else had heard their conversation._

" _But mom, then you would know where to always find surprises we might have for you. That's kind of cheating" Mariana stated sassily, earning a chuckle from Callie._

" _She does have a point…" Callie stated, still smiling. Stef playfully shot her a glare "…but I know what you mean" she continued, until Stef smiled. Stef walked over to Callie and sat on the bed to join her._

" _But honestly…" Stef started as she placed her hand on Callie's shoulder, "… you don't have to put things in the bag anymore. I know you got used to always having at least something in there ready for your next move, but you're home now. Forever. You can put that with all of our travel bags in the storage closet". Callie had smiled when Stef said she was home now. She nodded her head, emptied her bag of the few items that were still in there and headed towards the closet, with Stef behind her._

" _See? Doesn't that look so much better?" Stef joked as Callie placed it on the high shelf, behind a pile of other things that had accumulated over time._

" _Oh yeah" Callie answered. "That's some grade A Tetris skills there". Stef closed her eyes, trying to hide her desire to laugh at Callie's joke. She patted Callie's back and kissed her temple._

" _Love you sweets" She lovingly stated._

" _Love you too" Callie assured._

Callie took a deep breath as she tried to shake that memory away. She had to begin packing her bag now. Stef and Lena obviously didn't want her anymore, and everything they had ever stated before was a lie. They didn't love her like their own child. They weren't always going to be there for her. She couldn't always rely on them. She wasn't special, or valuable, or worth anything. If what seemed to be the sweetest and safest people in the world could turn their backs on her now, there truly was no good in the world. She had started to have a different outlook on the world, but all that came to a halt. She attempted to build her walls back up again and detach herself from each member of this family, but it hurt so much to do so, unlike before with other families. It was hurting her more now than ever before, and she became frustrated and threw her pile of clothes she had just placed on the bed onto the floor. Things surely had changed since she became a member of this family. Callie Jacobs would have had no problem packing the bag, but Callie Adams Foster had too many attachments she had formed. She sat on the bed with her head in her hands, fuming over her failed attempt at not shedding another tear, and hurt that this was happening. So much was going through her head, she didn't even hear the knock on the door. She was pulled out of her thoughts by Jude's voice

"Hey Callie, Moms wanted me to t… what happened? What's wrong?"

"Jude. I um… I" was all Callie could manage to say. She didn't think about how she would explain to Jude that she was being kicked out for who knows what, and that they would have to be separated.

Jude didn't hesitate though, he rushed back down the stairs to get his moms. Something was clearly not alright with Callie, because she always seemed to have some way of letting him know she was okay.

"Uh moms? I think Callie really needs you for something" Jude interrupted, trying to tell them it was serious without alarming the social worker.

Stef and Lena excused themselves from the kitchen and rushed upstairs. They had just told Jude to go and get Callie and tell her they forgot about the follow up with the social worker. There was no need to knock, because Jude had left the door wide open when he had rushed downstairs.

"Hey love, what happened?" Stef asked as she and Lena entered the room, finding the floor covered with clothing scattered about as if Callie's closet exploded before her.

"Just don't even talk to me, okay? I already know how this works!" Callie hissed as she tried to appear strong and bold again. Stef and Lena were taken aback by Callie's response, and finally saw the bag on Callie's bed after they surveyed the clothes on the floor.

"The social worker…" Lena whispered after a moment so that Stef would hear her and understand what Callie must have thought. Callie continued to pick up clothes off the floor and place them crumpled up into her bag.

"Callie, why are you packing your bag? You aren't going anywhere" Stef said as calmly as she could.

"Really? Do you think I'm that dumb?! I should've known this was too good to be true. Why do you even care!" By now Callie was blowing up and letting out her anger and hurt feelings onto Stef and Lena.

"The social worker is here for a post adoption follow up, that's all. Nothing more". Lena tried to reason knowing that the social worker downstairs surely heard that.

"No, I heard what you said down there! You said sorry you weren't more prepared, and the social worker said that it happens all the time! So many people return kids they adopted because they weren't as prepared as they thought to handle the kids because they realize how screwed up we can be! And it's people LIKE YOU who do things that MAKE US THAT WAY!" Callie's tears were now freely falling while her voice thundered throughout the whole house. Her face was red and her hands started shaking again while her face turned red. Stef and Lena wanted to grab Callie and hug her. They knew for sure that she believed she was being removed from the home for good, and that she was reacting this way because she truly cared now. They weren't sure how to calm her down though.

"We apologized for not being more prepared for the meeting" Stef tried at calming Callie down without wrapping her arms around her. She knew if she tried that, Callie would retaliate even more. "We completely forgot that the follow up meeting was today because we were just enjoying our family time. She said it happens all the time because families go on with their lives once their child is adopted. Once a child is adopted, they're out of the system. The last thing anyone thinks about is social workers and paperwork again".

Callie wanted to believe her, but she was now trying to make up and compensate for her opening herself up in the past. She continued to pack her bag.

"Jude had a post adoption follow up meeting too, but it didn't seem weird because we were all still used to having a social worker come over. Plus she had come over to help us figure out how to get Robert to sign away his rights so we could adopt you" Lena added, letting her know it was a normal thing that happened, and her brother even went through this too. At those words, Callie stopped placing clothes in her bag and turned her head a bit to look at Stef and Lena.

The social worker had come up the stairs by now and peeked in the room knocking. She couldn't help but hear the commotion and wanted to help. Callie was calming down a bit until she saw the social worker. Callie stiffened up at seeing her, and Stef and Lena noticed it.

"Hey. So, what's going on in here? Are you okay Callie?"

Of course Callie wasn't alright. She believed 100% that she was about to be removed from this house. No: she believed 90% that she was about to be removed from her _home_ , and that was even worse. She slumped down on the bed and closed her eyes. Her head was pounding by now, and she just wished for this all to be over. Stef decided to move in, knowing that Callie was in need of comfort and reassurance. Callie started to move away when she heard Stef coming towards the bed, but she couldn't scoot away because of her duffel bag. Stef reached over to pull her into a hug, and Callie tried to push her away, but Stef had already anticipated that. She held the hand that Callie tried to use to push Stef away and used Callie's momentum to bring it up to her lips and kiss it.

"I got you" Stef whispered, gripping Callie's hand to show her support. Callie had looked into Stef's eyes when she said this, seeing nothing but genuineness and sincerity in them. She felt Lena's hand rub her other shoulder. Callie couldn't help herself. She closed her eyes again and started to cry, relieved that they weren't giving her up, but still a tad bit conflicted as to if to still believe them. Stef moved closer and held Callie in her arms, rubbing comforting circles on her back.

"I think from the conversation we just had, Callie believed that you came to the house to remove her again. We forgot to tell her about the post adoption follow up, because we truly forgot about it altogether, and we're sorry for that" Lena answered, aiming that last part towards Callie. They didn't mean to surprise her, but they really forgot.

''Oh I see" the social worker replied, connecting the pieces together to what she heard Callie screaming when she was still downstairs. "A lot of children who were in foster care and then are adopted have an adjustment period that's longer than we realize. On average, whatever the time length of their longest placement is, double that, and that's the adjustment period. Often times kids still feel like they can be removed or that their parents won't suddenly want them, because permanency isn't a thing they are used to" Stef and Lena nodded their heads, remembering Mariana and Jesus's adjustment period. For a while, they had believed that they would be send back or dropped off at a police station. By now, Callie was sitting up wiping her tears away, feeling relieved that everything she just thought and felt was normal.

"Callie I completely understand why you thought you were being removed, but I assure you I am not here to do that. I'm here to make sure everyone is adjusting and provide assistance with tips if need be. I want you to truly know that this is your home now and that no one is coming to remove you. Even if we have to make a sign to place on your mirror to remind you of that, we will" she finished.

"And if we have to tell you that every day, we gladly will" Lena added.

Callie felt so much relief in those statements. Sure she thought it was a bit extreme to tell someone the same thing like that every day, but it meant that Stef and Lena were still fighting for her, and that the small 10% she believed that Stef and Lena still cared for her, was true. Callie smiled at her moms and nodded her head, letting them know that she was alright and that she agreed with finding some way of reminding herself that this was her forever family.

"Sorry I freaked out" she said after a moment, feeling a bit embarrassed over her blow up. "I really over reacted when I saw the social worker".

"You don't have to apologize about anything. The only time you were ever used to seeing social workers come unannounced, it was when they were taking you away. I would've freaked out too" Stef answered honestly as she continued to rub small circles on her daughter's back.

"Thankfully, I'm not here to do that, just here to help. Then I'll be on my way and you and your family can continue enjoying your Saturday" the social worker said, trying to make Callie feel better too.

"Thank you that sounds great. How about we help you clean up your room now?" Lena stated as she looked at some of the clothes that were still on the floor. Callie nodded as she, Stef, Lena, and the social worker placed the clothes on the bed.

"I'll sort them out and put them back in my drawer. Thank you for helping me though" Callie commented. She knew the social worker still had other places to be.

"No problem. I think in the future I may be back for one more follow up if that's alright with everyone?" Callie nodded, followed by Stef and Lena, after seeing that Callie was ok with it. "I'll make sure to give you a call the night before to remind you of my visit so hopefully everyone will be more prepared" she finished. Everyone turned their attention to the doorway when they heard a small knock on the doorframe.

"Sorry, but I wanted to make sure Callie was okay after I came and got you two. I heard about your plan to help Callie remember that she's here with us forever, so I thought I would help" Jude admitted with a small smile. "I made you a sign to put on your mirror like the social worker recommended". He walked over to Callie and handed her the sign. It was written in green highlighter on a piece of copy paper. It read:

 _Don't pack your bags. You have a family FOREVER now, okay?_

A smile grew on Callie's face as she pulled Jude in for a hug. "You're the best, thanks baby".

"That was very sweet of you Jude" Lena complimented.

Callie grabbed tape and placed the note on her mirror in her room. A few minutes later, the social worker was leaving, Jude was back to his video games, and Stef and Lena went back upstairs to Callie's room.

"Hey" Stef said as her and Lena walked back in while Callie was sorting out her clothes. She turned around and smiled. Her cheeks still had tear stains evident, and she seemed a bit tired.

"We figured you would like one of these" Lena handed Callie some headache medicine and a small glass of water.

"Thank you" Callie uttered as she washed down the pill with her water. Her head was killing her, and it was just what she needed.

"No problem" Lena answered.

"Now that the social worker is gone, we don't mind helping you sort through your clothes and help you put them back" Stef offered, although it was more of a statement. Everyone went to work sorting out clothes on Callie's bed.

"Can I ask you two a question?" Callie asked.

"Of course" they chimed.

"Did you… I mean, were you hurt by what I said earlier? About people like you making me screwed up? Because I'm sorry, I wasn't thinking right" Callie apologized.

"We knew you weren't, which is why I didn't take it personally. I know my slug-a-bug, and I know that you don't really feel that way" Stef answered, trying to show Callie that nothing she could say or do would change how they feel about her.

"Me too" Lena agreed, smiling at Callie.

"But, even after I said all that and yelled at you, you didn't get mad. You even said you would tell me every day that I belonged here and this was my home. How come?" Callie wasn't used to getting so much grace. She thought she had messed up for good.

"Because we love you and we will do everything we can to continue to show you that we do. You are so loved Callie Adams Foster. You are so loved and wanted by everyone here. We all see it and want to help you see it too" Stef answered.

"Do you know that a butterfly's wings are seen by everyone except for that butterfly? We all see the beauty in others, but tend to overlook it within ourselves. That's what family is here for. To try and show you the beauty that they see in you. That's why we'll tell you you're wanted and that you belong here every day if we have to." Lena assured.

"That's right, and if you ever need a reminder, just ask us" Stef commented.

Callie thought about what her moms had said and was able to push all of the doubt that was trying to creep into her mind away. She knew it would take some time for her to believe in the permanency of this home and this family, but with her moms and her siblings, she could get through it.

"I love you Bug" Stef stated as she came in to hug Callie.

"Don't forget that I love you too Cal" Lena added as she hugged Callie as well, putting her into a mama sandwich.

"I love you both so much. Definitely remember that" Callie insisted.

"We'll remember" Stef and Lena both replied.

"We'll remember forever" Stef finished, causing both Lena and Callie to smile at the thought of having each other to love. Each of the ladies had the other two to help show them the beauty in their wings, and that's all they needed.

 **I hope you enjoyed this story! I came up with the idea and I figured I would try my best to bring it to life. Hope you enjoyed!**


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